Rachel Zemach became Deaf at age ten and found her Deaf-with-a-capital D identity at age forty, ironically when teaching in a very hearing school. Her memoir, THE BUTTERFLY CAGE —published by Paper Angel Press, in 2023—aims to be enjoyable. However it is also a scathing indictment of the current type of school that 90% of Deaf and hard of children attend. She lives in Santa Rosa, California, with a hearing husband who doesn’t sign very well. This is why he refers to her as his “hamburger” when they run into Deaf people. They have a fat, huggable cat named Puppy, who works hard at acting like a dog but still has a long way to go. www.rachelzemach.com.
You can read Rachel’s essay from Episode 20: “I’m Deaf And Have ‘Perfect’ Speech. Here’s Why It’s Actually A Nightmare” in Huffpost. You can also read a transcript of her essay HERE.
