The Arc - Mandy Puccini

The Arc of Cowlitz Valley

Mandy Puccini

Mandy Pucinni is twelve years old and has been deaf since the age of two. As a toddler, she'd contracted meningitis, which damaged the nerves in her ears. Mandy wears hearing aids and is able to pick up some loud sounds through them, like thunder.

When Mandy was little, her family lived near a school for the deaf. Starting in preschool, Mandy attended classes with other deaf kids and she and her parents started learning sign language. Because Mandy has some hearing, she also began working with a speech therapist to learn how to lip-read and speak.

When Mandy was seven, her family moved to a new city, far away from a school for the deaf. Mandy and her parents decided that Mandy should go to public school and stay at home instead of living in the dormitory of the deaf school. Mandy is the first deaf student in her school. Mandy and her parents had to go to the school board to explain why Mandy needed an interpreter in school. Mandy's interpreter, Amy, interprets all her classes. When Mandy works one-on-one with her teacher or with classmates she reads their lips. Mandy is teaching her classmates and teacher some sign language, too.

Mandy's class has adjusted to her needs--and the needs of her interpreter.

Being deaf can be frustrating, especially when people don't understand how to communicate with a deaf person. Mandy is very independent and is quick to tell people that just because she's deaf doesn't mean she can't do the things hearing kids can do. Her favorite phrase is, "Deaf people can do everything except hear!"