Heather Whitestone first Deaf Miss America

1. Heather Whitestone first Deaf Miss America By: Wanita Bailey American Sign Language 8th grade 1st period April 11, 2011

2. Life of Whitestone • Date of Birth & where… Heather Whitestone was born in February 24, 1973 in Dothan, Alabama. • How she became deaf ? At 18 months she got a vaccine that mad e her sick .To save her from death doctors gave her 2 strong antibiotics though she got better she became deaf from nerve damage. • What she did as a job ?…On Miss America she showed her S.T.A.R.S program. S.T.A.R.S. means “Success Through Action and Realization of your dreams.” Heather also served as an executive board member on the President's Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities • After school….After college Whitestone continued to speak on Deaf awareness. Now Heather, her husband , and 3 children. Live on Saint Simmons island.

3. Family, Where she grew up, and Life After school • School & Family… Mother Daphne Gray, Husband -John McCallum • When Daphne discovered her daughter’s deafness, and decided that Heather would lip read and speak. • Heather loved ballet, and started to study it at the Dothan School of Dance. At 11 she began to fall behind in school. After she caught up to her peers she returned to public school. • During this time her mother and father went through a divorce. After this her mother moved their family to Birmingham. Where Heather finished college.

4. impact • Heather made an impact on how deaf people are seen today by showing that you can be any thing you want to be. • Over all she was treated equally but had to work harder than most. • During pageants she had to have questions read slowly or written down. Through the difficulties she still made it through.