A Blast from the Past–Visiting Northern Illinois University
Yesterday, I headed west to Northern Illinois University for my annual visit with Dr. Ouellette. Dr. Ouellette is the Department Chair for the School of Allied Health. Each year, I speak to her graduate class about Hands & Voices and raising deaf and hard of hearing children. Every year, we grab lunch together before class and catch up on life.
After the class was over, I headed over to the Health building and visited some old friends and staff. It has been 23 years since I first set foot on campus, but many of the same staff are still there. And each year that I come back to NIU, I’m more and more aware of how quickly time is passing by. I used to babysit for many of the staff at NIU and now their kids are in college and in some cases, starting families.
Ah, but what really broke my heart was seeing a popular bar shuttered and up for lease:
There were some good memories at that bar!
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Ah I was a NIU studednt for a year and a half at NIU. I do recall the bar-hopping nights there…basically because there is not much to do in DeKalb which is why the majority of NIU students go out of town (to Chicago, Rockford, or to their parents in surrounding cities and towns).
However my experiences as a student studying to become a teacher is very very UNPLEASANT. The department of special education there back then doesnt know the first thing about deaf people, deaf culture, and American Sign Language. Which is not surprising when that program collapsed and had earned a bad reputation within the deaf community.
Ah…memories…