Rachel Zemach, a Deaf educator, writer and passionate activist, has published a memoir titled, “THE BUTTERFLY CAGE.” Drawing on her personal experiences and her extensive work with Deaf and hard of hearing children and adults, Rachel Zemach sheds necessary and sometimes startling light on the experiences of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals and offers practical advice for educators and families. Her stories about individual students and how the school system disempowers them are funny, powerful and memorable.
“Being a Deaf teacher, I have seen how the education system unnecessarily and quite unintentionally limits students’ growth and potential. My book is a heartfelt effort to bring attention to this situation, which is largely unknown to the hearing world, yet common knowledge among the Deaf. Nationwide, parents are not learning, nor encouraged, to sign with their Deaf children, and this has created an epidemic of language deprivation in Deaf children. Public schools overlook the power and benefits of Deaf students embracing a Deaf identity, which wreaks havoc on many Deaf student’s potential and psychological well-being. Through poignant, humorously told, true stories, describing both public schools and the dramatically different setting of a renowned Deaf school, my book aims to show you how and why.