Author: Margaret A. Pitts

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 141078102X

Margaret gives searing and compelling insights into the isolated world of one deaf child who grew up in an era uneducated about deafness. The results were the very tragic consequences that shaped her life. The Silent Cry is a shocking story of molestation and abandonment, neglect and a multitude of falsely diagnosed mental illnesses. As a child, Margaret could not hear and her speech was unintelligible. These problems made it impossible for her to communicate with those around her. She then attended a school for the deaf and learned her primary language-American Sign Language, thus enabling her to communicate with peers and teachers. Her family was not willing to learn American Sign Language and this further compounded her awareness of isolation in a hearing world. She much later learned English, however, it is not her primary language as many like to believe. Because of her Deaf boyfriend?s suicide attempt, she was suddenly compelled to leave Delavan, Wisconsin School for the Deaf. The school has served deaf and hard of hearing students in the state of Wisconsin since 1852. WSD has an average annual enrollment of 180 students in grades pre-K through 12th. WSD stresses quality of service to students and parents. We focus on meeting the needs of students with disabilities in the areas of academic, adaptive education, vocational and social skills development. When she was pushed into a hearing world without verbal or writing communication skills at the age of eighteen, she was not able to blend in. Finally, she determined that she was abandoned on the streets where she was preyed upon by pimps who force her into prostitution. This is a chilling account of the exploitation of a person with a disability, but it is also a story of remarkable courage and triumph of the human spirit. A Truly amazing transformation! The work ends with the author's nervous and joyful reunion with self-awareness and self-confidence. It is also a beautiful love story involving many cultures. The main cultures consist of two different languages, two difference races, and the bridges built between them making this story unique.