‘We want to break the statistics’
Julia Bronneberg and Macy DeGraw have spent the past three months traveling to Europe, Africa, and Asia with Semester at Sea, the shipboard study-abroad program.
By the time their voyage ends on December 22, they will have visited 10 countries, doing field work in each destination to better understand the culture and environment. In between stops, they study ecology, global studies, oceanography, and geography with other on-board classmates.
The women, both junior biology majors at Gallaudet University, have also met with Deaf leaders in every country they visit — a chance not just to learn about another culture but to understand more about the Deaf community around the world.
In Portugal, a Deaf student told them she has to schedule and pay for her own interpreters if she wants to take classes. In Ghana, they visited a deaf school and learned that many parents delay sending their children for education because they struggle to accept their deafness. Instead, they hope religious leaders or medical providers will “cure” them.
The pair, two of the first Deaf students to travel with Semester at Sea, started an American Sign Language club on the ship and have documented their travels on their YouTube channel, Sailing in Silence.
About 11 percent of Americans who study abroad have disabilities, an increase over the last decade and a half but still a lower rate than other students.
The Chronicle caught up with Macy and Julia just before they docked in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, one of their final destinations. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Did you have any hesitation about going abroad as a Deaf person?
Macy: I was hesitant to spend part of my college career in a mainstream, non-Deaf environment, especially since Covid had already impacted some of my educational experiences in high school, leading to increased feelings of isolation. We want to break the statistics and prove that Deaf students, and all people with disabilities, can study abroad.
Julia: People with disabilities tend to face hesitation in their daily lives and international-travel experiences based on the environments around them not being set up to welcome them fully. I joined Semester at Sea to learn and prove to the world that we can do anything hearing people can.
You’ve made it a point to meet with Deaf leaders when you’ve visited different countries. What have you learned?
Macy: We wanted to meet Deaf locals in every country to learn about their daily lives, barriers, goals, educational systems, and governments firsthand. The U.S. Deaf community does not tend to focus on international Deaf communities often. These experiences have revealed how privileged we are as Deaf people in America with the different laws and rights afforded to us.
Julia: At Gallaudet, we often host international visiting scholars, and I have always wanted to travel outside the U.S. and be in their shoes for a bit — to know the contexts they are coming from personally.
The biggest theme I recognized is that none of us are looking for pity as Deaf people. Rather, we take pride in all the gains we experience and the valuable perspectives we have to share. Everyone struggles with something at some point in their lives. The Deaf people we met in each country are proud of their hard-earned successes and advances in human rights.
What was the response like from your fellow students when you formed the ASL club?
Julia: We had more than 180 people sign up for ASL club the day we pitched our student organizations. Initially, Macy and I co-led the sessions with the alphabet, basic conversational phrases, colors, countries, and ship vocabulary. However, in the middle of the semester, it became apparent that with newcomers and continuing learners, we needed to split into beginner and advanced groups.
Macy: There are approximately 15 “ship kids” on the voyage, children of our staff and faculty, and we were invited to teach them the basics of sign-language communication. We also shared our stories of growing up with parents who were willing to learn to communicate with us. We believe it is vital for all children to be exposed to sign language when they are young, so it was extra special to connect with them. They reserve front-row seats for us in all of their ship productions and love practicing their signs with us!
What will you take away from your study-abroad experience?
Macy: I semi-naively expected every country to be fun and upbeat. However, I have been appropriately challenged by exposure to the history of colonialism, power and privilege, wealth disparities, and environmental factors across various countries. This program is much deeper than sailing on a ship, going to classes, and being tourists.
Julia: We learned about the concept of “and” from [one of our lecturers]. We can experience joy and grief, abundance and scarcity, gains and losses, while visiting other countries. There will always be people and places with more or fewer resources than we have. Instead of feeling guilty, we have learned to be aware of our privileges and the incredible opportunity to visit each country with humility and curiosity.
