Terry Galloway is a writer, director and performer. Her 2009 memoir ‘Mean Little deaf Queer’ describes her life growing up and navigating the world as a deaf queer woman.
Galloway identifies as ‘little d’ deaf, having grown up relying on speech and lip-reading to communicate and having received a cochlear implant in 2010.
Her most recent show titled “you are my sunshine” depicts her life adjusting to sound after receiving her cochlear implant. The images below depict various attempts made throughout Galloway’s life to “pass as hearing”.
At school Galloway describes herself as a “freak” and her large box hearing aid made it hard to fit in (TEDx Talks, 2012).
Frustration with TTY phone system. Galloway describes how the caller on the other line would frequently give up and hang up the phone (TEDx Talks, 2012).
Galloway was jealous of the casual nature in which audiologist used the phone, enabled by her cochlear implants. This persuaded Galloway to get the surgery for herself. (TEDx Talks, 2012).
References:
Window image: MickeeFaust (2012) You are my sunshine. 17 July. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmOqJkZunLI [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Figure 1b: Avaroma, M. (2012) Terry Galloway | “You Are My Sunshine”. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedxfsu/7560122276 [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Figure 2b: theterrygalloway.com, (no date), You Are My Sunshine: A Kind of Love Story. Available at: http://www.theterrygalloway.com/sunshine.html [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Figure 3b: Avaroma, M. (2012) Terry Galloway | “You Are My Sunshine”. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedxfsu/7560127904 [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Galloway, T. (2009) Mean Little deaf Queer: A Memoir. Boston: Beacon Press.
TEDx Talks (2012) Terry Galloway-You Are My Sunshine-TEDxFSU. 19 September. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCn5iIXxs6g&t=154s [Accessed 13 May 2022].
