Meet Rachel Zemach

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Zemach a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I found I was Deaf in one ear in a school-wide test at age 10. I laughed it off. They sent me to a Dr. who said to be careful of the “good” ear. Two weeks later I was swinging over a little staircase at home and slipped, fell, and broke a bone in the inner ear of that good ear. It made me lose 100% of my. hearing in that ear so suddenly I was very deaf!

I became interested in teaching after babysitting at age 12. It seemed logical I would teach deaf kids. And MANY years later, I did. I wrote a book about it because it was an. astonishing career.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am passionate about the wellbeing of Deaf children.. Too often they are not allowed to learn ASL (sign language) and their educations and family relationships and lives suffer tremendously from that. Speaking out on it has become my life mission.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Humor, resilience and luck in meeting brilliant Deaf people and living near a Deaf school as a teen.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

Ha!!! A decade would be fantastic. I was told ten years ago I had up to three years, tops, to live, due to cancer. It was quite a shock. I now think of time very differently than most. I take it one year at a time only. It’s a little stressful, especially because I am not really good at making, nor acting on, a bucket list. But I did successfully finish my book, which is huge to me. I hope to travel with my daughter, go back to Greenwich, England where I lived as a child, and write another book. Also get the current book done in Spanish and make an audio-recroding of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachelzemach.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelZemachAuthor/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-zemach
• Other: My book is available here: https://www.facebook.com/UnrulyVoicesPAP/posts/pfbid0JEZVVQQVGSzJrjTpiC3M16vufbapdjpcKRACZDL7KXcVPXgYUDzhv4SatLEh6N47l

Image Credits

rzemach