Dorothy Miles Legacy

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Dorothy Miles played a key role in the development and importance of sign language poetry. She was a pioneer, so to speak, in American Sign Language and British Sign Language poetry. Some claim she is the source of inspiration for most sign language poetry today! (Sutton-Spence). Her passion was to bridge the gap between Deaf and hearing people, and as her legacy has it, through poetry Miles contributed to doing just that. Born hearing in North Whales, Dorothy spoke primarily English until she contracted cerebrospinal meningitis. At age eight she became deaf and then began attending schools for the Deaf in which she learned British Sign Language. Later in life she learned American Sign Language at Gallaudet University ("Dorothy Miles: A Modern Deaf Poet."). At a young age, even before she lost her hearing, Dorothy had a love for words. She acquired sense of rhythm and loved music. As a …show more content…
She there worked with the National Union of the Deaf’s Open Door and performed her poetry on television. She also worked with the British Deaf Association, and set up the very first university course for training deaf people to become BSL tutors ("Class of 1962.").
Dorothy’s accomplishments never seem to end. She left behind a legacy that has deemed her a key figure in the Deaf community. On a sad January day in 1993, Dorothy’s depression and assumed mental illness got the best of her, as she fell from her second floor window and took her own life ("Class of 1962."). To honor Dorothy, The Dorothy Miles Cultural Centre was established by a group of hearing and Deaf friends. The charity focusses on enhancing both understanding and communication between hearing and deaf individuals. The charity offers BSL courses, which help play out Dorothy’s vision of Deaf and hearing people coming together to learn and work on developing together (Dot Sign
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