Beginning her career 30 years ago at the Paul A. Dever State School residential facility, she served mentally disabled persons until the school closed down seven years later. Realizing that she wouldn’t be able to earn a good salary with only a high school diploma, she went back to school at the age of 26. Completing her AS at Massasoit Community College, Donna continued on to earn her BA degree. Upon entering the program in 1998 at Northeastern University, she changed her focus of human services to American Sign Language/English (ASL) interpreting, graduating with a BA in ASL/English Interpreting.

“I wanted to immerse myself into the deaf community, so I applied and began working at the Horace Mann School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. I wanted more exposure, interaction, and an opportunity to learn more about the language but also deaf culture, deaf history, traditions, community traditions, and the deaf experience. Where best to learn the community but from the deaf people themselves?”

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