Deaf Teacher

Donna Fano is a retired teacher from Ontario School for the Deaf - Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf in Belleville, Ontario, where she taught various subjects from sewing to math, geography currently volunteers as the school's archival assistant.

Born in Hanna, Alberta, she grew up as a hard of hearing child of hearing parents and received a Bachelor of Education Degree with a fine arts major specializing in visual arts from the University of Calgary. She began contact with Deaf Community when she joined Ontario School for the Deaf. To this day, she has been energetically involved with some of the activities of the Belleville Association of the Deaf and the Ontario School for the Deaf - Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf Alumni Association.

She was honored with the Alumni Association Service Recognition Award in recognition of her long term Commitment and Dedication to the Association and the Ontario School for the Deaf - Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf Archives.

She was my Deaf Teacher in sewing class last 1979 - 1986 at Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf in Belleville, Ontario.


I asked Donna about the questions are:

- Did you went to School for the Deaf in Calgary?

- What the name of School?

Donna almost was send to Edmonton School for the Deaf. They tested her English and said her English was too high and it would better for her to stay in Public School. She went to the Hanna Public Elementary and High Schools. There were no interpreters, nor notetakers to help her. She received private lessons in tutoring in speech and reading which helped her greatly in grade 5 & 6. Her parents had to pay for the lessons. She even asked for a FM System when she was in grade 6 and the teacher, who was the Principal, said  it cost too much to buy one. When she was in grade 7 - 9  she was put in a slow class as the School thought the smarter classes would be too hard for her. The slow classes were full of problem kids who were bullies, smoked and fooled around. She learned to ignore them and rose above their level academically. It was not easy for her had to struggle in School to hear and learn, Luckily she met new friend who was in the smart classes and she helped her with her School work in grade 9 and get into High School Matriculation Program. The program gave her options to go to University.
In High School a classmate agreed to lend her her notes each day and she took them home at night time to copy them (hence she had double the School work). This helped get her through High School. She empower herself to take on her own education and did a lot more reading while in grade 10 to 12. She did well in Biology, Art and Math but not that well  in English.
She had a high education Academic average to get into University and entered the Fines Arts Program in Education. She couldn't hear  the large Lecture Halls which offered English and Art History but did well in small Art Classes.
She hired by Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf to teach intermediate Sewing Class in 1973 but had to take the Teacher Education Deaf Specialist Course for 1 year before teaching Full Time.
  She ever happy to find Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf teach there! She never left and taught 33 years Full Time plus 10 years supply teaching.